Islamic Dietary Laws

Misconceptions About the Curative Powers of Alcohol

At the present time alcohol
consumption appears to be on the increase all over the world. As a result
of this most countries have to face growing problems arising from alcohol
use and alcoholism. Quite apart from the cost to human health this results
in a substantial economic loss due to road and industrial accidents, work
absenteeism, and the costs of treating and rehabilitating alcoholic persons.

Islam freed the Medina
society from this economic pressure which the modern world is suffering under
its crushing burden. Governments and large constellations of companies make
tremendous profits from the local sale and export of alcohol. They are not
prepared to disturb their whole economy in order to get rid of alcoholism
at home. Companies are not even ready to reduce their use of 'propaganda'
and 'persuasion' which are portrayed in their advertisements and T.V. commercials.
But they are ready to donate a negligible sum of their enormous profit to
help solve some of the problems of their victimized alcoholics. It is like
the shedding of crocodile tears.

Al-Khamr as used in the
Holy Qur'an and the Hadith of the Prophet means any material which causes
intoxication. It comes from the Arabic word Yakhmur which means to cover
or to curtail. Al-Khamr is so called because it covers or curtails the proper
functioning of the mind. It is commonly used as a synonym of wine or alcoholic
drinks because these were the only intoxicating material used by the Arabs
at the time of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).

Many methods of dealing
with the problems of alcohol in society have been proposed and experimented
with throughout man's history. These have included total prohibition; many
and varied types of legislative control to regulate the production and consumption
of alcoholic beverages and the nationalization of the alcohol industry. None
can be aid to have solved the problem.

The basis of the attitude
of Islam to the question of alcohol consumption has been little understood
in Western countries. The prohibition of alcohol in the Holy Qur'an and its
effects in the daily life of Islamic peoples have been judged on the basis
of prohibition results in countries such as the US.

Since antiquity alcohol
has been used not only as a social lubricant, aperitif and source of pleasure
but also as a remedy for many different ailments and diseases ranging from
insomnia and indigestion to heart attacks and as an anesthetic. The list
of diseases for which alcohol was used as a remedy was indeed very long.

The Arabs in Jahilia (pre-Islam)
period used alcohol to boost courage and benevolence. They also used it as
a remedy for their ailments and diseases. There are many Hadiths to show
how the new converts tried to convince the Prophet (pbuh) that they used
alcohol only as a remedy, and asked for his permission to continue doing
so. The Prophet (pbuh) emphatically denied the benefits of liquor as a remedy
and clearly mentioned it as a cause of ailment and disease and not a remedy
for any disease.

Muslim, Abu Da'ood and
Tirmizi narrate the following Hadith: "A man called Tariq Al Joofi
came to the Prophet (PBUH) and asked permission to consume liquor (alcohol),
the Prophet refused. The man said: I use it and prescribe it as a medicine.
The Prophet (pbuh) answered: 'It is a disease and ailment.'"

Another Hadith says that
a man called Tariq ibn Swaid Al Hadrami came to the Prophet (PBUH) and said: "O
Messenger of God, In our land we have vineyards and we make wine and drink." The
Prophet (PBUH) said: "Stop drinking." The man proclaimed: "We
use it as a remedy for the sick." The Prophet said: "It's no remedy.
It is an illness itself." (Narrated by Muslim)

Abu Da'ood narrated this
Hadith: "God has made for every illness a cure, but never get your
cure by things prohibited." Al-Bukhari also narrated a similar Hadith
in which the Prophet (pbuh) said: "God didn't make your remedy in
any of the things prohibited."

Islam and Alcoholic Drinks

Alcoholic drinks are the
only poison that is licensed in many countries. However, Islam took a clear
attitude towards alcoholic drinks more than 1400 years ago. Islam prohibits
such drinks. Any drink that causes drunkenness is prohibited in Islam regardless
of the matter it is made from and regardless of the quantity.

According to Islam, if
too much of a drink causes drunkenness, then any small quantity of this drink
is prohibited, because all alcoholics start with small quantities, then they
become the slaves of alcohol.

Following is a detailed
study of some of the misconceptions about the curative powers of alcohol
and the many problems associated with alcohol consumption.

Alcohol and General Health

Alcoholic drinks, which
are prohibited by Islam, have a destructive effect on the nervous system
through the direct toxic effect. Besides, alcohol may lead to alcoholism
with its psychological and mental troubles such as convulsion and hallucination.
Further, alcohol leads to malnutrition caused by inflammations in the digestive
system, repeated vomiting, loss of appetite, and bad absorption in the digestive
system.

The alcoholic becomes careless,
selfish, easily provoked, and suspicious. He may suffer paranoia. The alcoholic
may end up being hated by his wife and children. He suffers from melancholy.
He may then end up committing suicide for he has no reason to live for. An
alcoholic may suffer from hallucination: he may think he sees unreal ghosts
or hear unreal voices or smell unreal scents. Alcohol causes decay in the
cells of the brain and the cortex. This may cause alcoholic psychosis and
loss of memory. In this stage, the alcoholic loses the ability to distinguish
the concrete from the abstract and the real from the unreal. He cannot even
know the day or the place. The alcoholic loses the ability to calculate,
to add, or subtract the easiest numbers. The alcoholic cannot remember the
most recent incidents in his life.

The alcoholic may become
unable to stand up without losing his balance. When he walks, he staggers.
When he speaks, he slurs.

Scientists and governments
now do their best to solve the problem of drunkenness and alcoholic drinks,
but in vain. In contrast, Islam solved this problem by means of one single
verse in the Holy Quran, where alcoholic drinks were prohibited fourteen
centuries ago. Once you believe in Allah, you accept and submit to His orders
and all your problems are solved.

Islam prohibited all kinds
of alcoholic drinks 1400 years ago. Islam did not wait for scientific research
to prove the destructive effects of alcohol on human body and human mind.
In Islam, the principle is simple, clear, and logical: prevention is better
than cure. In other civilizations, alcoholic drinks are allowed and then
problems occur. It is then that doctors, psychologists, and sociologists
start trying to solve the problems caused by alcohol. Islam does not only
prohibit drinking alcoholic drinks, but also prohibits making them. Islam
also prohibits carrying, selling, or buying such drinks. According to Islam,
if something is prohibited, all means to it are also prohibited. Also according
to Islam it is no use to forbid something and allow means leading to it at
the same time. If alcoholic drinks are prohibited, all means to them are
prohibited; Islam prohibits the making, transporting, importing, exporting,
buying, and selling of such drinks. In Islam, alcohol is not allowed and
problems are not given the chance to occur.

Alcohol and the Stomach

It was believed that alcoholic
drinks function as appetizers, but this is against facts. Alcoholic drinks
function as appetizers for the first week or month only, then soon the stomach
and other parts of the digestive system become inflamed. Infections and ulcers
begin to show up; vomiting starts; all appetite is lost.

The gastroscope shows that
any small quantity of alcohol causes an inflammation in the inner membrane
of the stomach. Some people believe that a little alcohol has no harm, but
this is scientifically not true. Further, as we know, all alcoholics started
with small quantities, then they found themselves chronic cases of alcoholism.
A person who drinks occasionally may become an alcoholic under the pressure
of any psychological shock or emotional problem or social crisis. This shows
us the wisdom of Allah; in Islam all alcoholic drinks are prohibited no matter
how small the quantity is. Alcohol, if drunk repeatedly, causes stomach inflammations
and the death of stomach cells. As a result, stomach acids decrease and result
in bad digestion. Further, many microbes pass without being destroyed by
the acid, which is destroyed by alcohol itself. The decrease of the stomach
acid leads to a decrease in vitamin B 12 and causes severe anemia. This chronic
inflammation of the stomach is accompanied with paleness, fast pulse, and
heart failure. Further, this stomach inflammation may develop a probable
ulcer, and then a probable stomach cancer. All these troubles are caused
by alcohol.

Alcohol and False Warmth

It was also believed that
alcoholic drinks cause warmth in the human body. But facts prove that it
is only a false warmth caused by the widening of outer blood vessels. But
if the drunkard is exposed to cold weather, he loses all his warmth and energy
and may die of cold thinking he is enjoying warmth.

Alcohol and the Brain

Alcohol hits the brain
mercilessly. Firstly, alcohol has a direct destructive anesthetic effect
on the brain. Secondly, the brain is damaged by the lack of blood that reaches
it owing to the hardening of blood vessels and heart failure. Thirdly, the
brain suffers the anemia that accompanies alcoholism. If the brain is damaged,
all problems begin to arise, one after the other. Alcohol has a tremendous
effect on the brain, the cortex, and the nervous system in general. The cortex
cells are in charge of controlling ma n muscles and systems in the human
body.

If a driver is drunk, he
cannot control his speed or react to emergency cases or avoid accidents.
When a man is drunk, he cannot observe, judge, or react well. A drunken person
loses much of his mental and physical efficiency, no matter how small the
drunken quantity of alcohol. Even if a person is accustomed to alcohol, his
abilities fall off when he drinks alcohol. A person who has drunk alcohol
loses some of his abilities and senses: he cannot see, taste, or smell as
a normal person does. His comprehension ability and muscular balance fall
off too. Research has shown that 50% of death cases in some countries are
caused directly or indirectly by alcoholic drinks.

Alcoholic drinks have a
very bad influence on the most valuable organ in the human body, i.e., the
brain. Besides, alcohol increases the secretion of stomach acids, which will
later on cause stomach inflammation and stomach ulcer. If a person has already
got an ulcer in his stomach, one glass of wine is enough to cause bleeding
in the stomach or a hole in that poor organ.

Alcohol and the Sexual Drive

Continuous drinking of
alcohol drinks ends up with sexual impotency. This shows us the wisdom of
prohibiting alcohol in Islam. To add, some bad alcohols may cause complete
blindness and heart failure owing to their severe toxiy.

Alcohol Leading to More Alcohol

The danger of alcoholic
drinks, which are prohibited by Islam, is that alcohol leads to more alcohol.
The sons of an alcoholic tend to be alcoholics too. In other words, alcohol
may easily push its drinker to the catastrophe of alcoholism, which is a
fatal blow to both the mind and the body.

In these days, countries
that allow alcohol are suffering from it and the number of alcoholics is
increasing rapidly. In the U.S.A., for example, the number of alcoholics
has increased from 4,000,000 in the 1960's to 10,000,000 in the 70's.

The Alcoholic's Mouth

The alcoholic may develop
some infections in the mouth, which are severely painful to the alcoholic.
Further, some microbes may attack the throat of the alcoholic and cause a
severe infection there. This throat infection makes swallowing and breathing
extremely difficult for the alcoholic.

The Alcoholic's Appetite

At the beginning alcohol
motivates appetite. But soon later, most of the digestive organs become inflamed;
the stomach acid decreases; the digestive process slows down; appetite for
food disappears. Some people in some countries think that wine and other
alcoholic drinks are appetizers and are served with almost all meals. But
this is nothing more than a common mistake. Alcohol functions as an appetizer
for a few meals only. Later, alcohol becomes a killer of appetite and a destroyer
of the digestive system starting from the mouth until the rectum.

The Alcoholic's Head

The alcoholic usually has
a headache. So he takes a great deal of aspirin and its derivatives. Besides,
the alcoholic usually smokes. So aspirin plus cigarettes plus anxiety plus
the toxity of alcohol itself pushes him into a vicious circle of emotional
anxiety.

The Alcoholic's Liver

Alcohol has a destructive
effect on the liver also. A person who drinks alcoholic for ten years will
most probably have problems in his liver. By means of the electron microscope,
the examiner of the liver can easily discover the effect of alcohol on the
liver in twenty-four hours after drinking. In the liver, the alcohol hits
the nucleus of the cells there first. When the nuclei of the liver cells
die, the cells die and cease to multiply. Besides, the liver fails to oxidize
fats, which therefore gather in and around the liver. The gathering of these
fats around the liver will end up with the complete failure of the liver.
Because of alcohol, the liver cannot transform carbohydrates, proteins, and
fats. Because of alcohol, the liver fails to remove poisons from the body.
This will cause the increase of the ration of poisons in the blood. These
poisons affect the activity of the brain and disturb the drunkard's emotions,
behavior, and mental abilities. He/she soon fails to write well; his/her
hand shakes; his breathing becomes difficult; his belly swells; and his temperature
rises.

Some people think that
some alcoholic drinks are less dangerous than others. But the fact is that
all alcoholic drinks are equally dangerous, because if the alcohol percentage
is small in a drink, the glass of that drink is made large. This means that
the quantity of alcohol is the same in each glass of drink. That is why Islam
prohibits all types of drinks and prohibits drinking any small quantities.
Islam prohibits the drinking of even a drop of any alcoholic drink, because
problems always start this way; a small glass on a social occasion, then
another glass on another social occasion, then eventually buying alcoholic
drinks to consume at mealtime, then getting drunk, and then becoming an alcoholic
with all his pains, his sufferings, his diseases, and problems he creates
for his wife, children, and family.

In conclusion, alcoholic
drinks effect and damage all systems of the body. Alcohol damages the nervous
system, the digestive system, and the blood system directly and it damages
all other systems indirectly.

What kind of life will
a person lead if he has infections, inflammation, ulcers, and cancers everywhere
in his body? Also, what kind of life is it when a person loses memory, loses
appetite, loses mental abilities, and has hallucinations?

Islam has saved humanity
from all this torture by guiding us to the right way. Because of our religion,
Muslims know the right way from the wrong way and Allah has given us the
mind with which we have to choose and bear responsibility. All thanks is
due to Allah, who gave us the Holy Quran in which to follow and lead us on
the right path of Islam.